JP2002323898A - Environment control equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide environment control equipment which creates more pleasant environment by controlling the environment surrounding a human including even sounds outside the audible frequency range. SOLUTION: An environment factor detecting means 21 detecting environment factors surrounding the human detects sound in and outside the human audible frequency band and an environment factor control means 23 controls the sounds or controls temperature, light, and air environment. Consequently, the environment can be controlled to the best environment according to sounds, environment and physiological quantities that the human can recognize.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an environment control device for controlling an environment based on a human environment or a human physiological condition.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG.
1 is a conventional environment control system disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-2005-11095. In this control system, reference numeral 1 denotes a body movement of a resident, that is, information on posture change, movement such as walking, and fine vibration of a trunk, and in particular, a body movement detecting a vertical acceleration of the trunk which is an action of an antigravity muscle. Detecting means 2 is a physiological information detecting means for detecting the resident's autonomic nervous system function, particularly cardiac function, and 3 is based on signals output from the body movement detecting means 1 and the physiological information detecting means 2. Physical information identifying means for identifying physical states including abnormal behaviors such as mental tension, relaxation, and fading, and cardiac function states, and outputting set values of environmental factors corresponding thereto; It is a communication unit that mediates data communication between the environment factor control unit 5 and data communication between the environment factor control unit. Reference numeral 5 denotes an environmental factor control unit including at least one or more of a heating element, a heat absorbing element, a blower, a dehumidifier, a humidifier, a light source, a sound source, and a true air generator.
6 is the environmental factors of the living space, temperature, radiation temperature, humidity,
An environmental factor detecting unit that detects at least one of the indicated values of wind speed, illuminance, and the amount of negative ions and outputs the indicated value to the environmental factor control unit 5. According to the above configuration of the environmental control device according to the present invention, the difference between the current environmental state detected by the environmental factor detecting means and the environmental factor set value causes the relative environmental factor of the environment in which the occupant is staying. Control becomes possible.

FIG. 5 is a conventional environmental control block diagram disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-141735. This control system includes an environmental factor detecting means 6 for detecting indoor air conditioning, lighting, and noise, and a presence detecting means 7 for detecting the presence or absence of a person in the room. Based on the comfort sensation characteristics obtained from the above three factors, the comfort of the person sitting there is comprehensively determined, and the air conditioner 8 and the lighting device 9 are controlled by the host computer 10.

[0004] In recent years, it has been pointed out that there is an effect on sounds that cannot be heard by human ears. It has been found that a specific extremely low frequency adversely affects human physiology, or conversely, an ultrasonic wave (for example, a high-frequency component of 20 kHz or more) outside the human audible frequency band is effective in relieving human stress. Was. In the case of humans, the performance of the structure that transmits sound to the eardrum and nerves is limited to 20 KHz, but if sound is transmitted directly from the bones to the auditory nerve, the sound in the ultrasonic range can also be felt. There is also.

According to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-313610,
As a conventional example of applying the sound in the ultrasonic region to human physiology, the sound of a frequency exceeding the audible frequency band is generated in an unsteady manner, thereby increasing the cerebral blood flow of the human and improving the mental and physical condition, A sound generator for relaxing humans is provided.

[0006]

As mentioned above, environmental factors affecting human physiology and psychology include sound, but in the above-mentioned conventional configuration, means for detecting sound or means for generating sound are used. It is not specified to have both. As described above, it is important that sound outside the audible frequency band of humans is important, but there is no conventional environmental control device that detects sound outside the audible frequency band. Because the sound of can not be recognized by human hearing, even if it is affecting human physiology, the person can not notice the cause, it is difficult to manually control environmental factors, I get sick without knowing it.

[0007] In addition to sound, heat, light, and air quality are also important environmental factors, and these factors have a complex effect on human physiology and psychology. However, heat, light,
There has not been a conventional method in which an environmental factor such as air quality and a complex environment of sound outside the audible frequency band are cooperatively controlled.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and includes an environmental factor detecting means for detecting an environmental factor around a human, a physiological information detecting means for detecting a physiological state of a human, and the environmental factor. Determining means for comprehensively determining a human state based on information from the detecting means and the physiological state detecting means,
Environmental factor control means for controlling an environment around a human based on the information from the determination means, wherein the environmental factor detection means detects a sound outside a human audio frequency band and an audio frequency band, and the environmental factor control means An object of the present invention is to provide an environmental control device that creates an environment in which humans are in a healthy and comfortable state.

[0009]

The environmental control device according to the present invention comprises an environmental factor detecting means for detecting an environmental factor around a human, a physiological information detecting means for detecting a physiological state of a human, and the environmental factor. A determination unit for comprehensively determining a human state based on information from the detection unit and the physiological information detection unit; and an environmental factor control unit for controlling an environment around the human based on the information from the determination unit; The factor control means generates a human audible frequency band and a sound outside the audible frequency band.

An environmental control device according to a second aspect of the present invention is an environmental factor detecting means for detecting an environmental factor around a human, and an environmental factor controlling means for controlling an environment around a human based on information of the environmental factor detecting means. Wherein the environmental factor control means generates a human audible frequency band and a sound outside the audible frequency band.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an environmental control device.
Or the environmental control device according to item 2, wherein the environmental factor detecting means detects a human audible frequency band and a sound outside the audible frequency band.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the environmental control apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the frequency T1 outside the human audible frequency band is a low-frequency sound. And

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an environmental control device according to the first aspect.
In the environmental control device according to any one of to 4,
The frequency T2 outside the human audible frequency band is an ultrasonic wave.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an environmental control device.
The environmental control device according to any one of to 5, wherein
The generated sound is non-stationary.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an environmental control device.
The environmental control device according to any one of to 6, wherein
The environmental factor control means includes an active noise control device.

The environmental control device according to the eighth aspect is the first aspect.
8. The environmental control device according to any one of items 1 to 7,
The environmental factor detecting means detects one or more factors among heat, light, and air quality.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an environmental control device according to the first aspect.
9. The environmental control device according to any one of items 1 to 8,
The environmental factor control means controls at least one factor among heat, light, and air quality.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the environmental control device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the physiological information detecting means detects a heart rate.

An environmental control device according to claim 11 is the environmental control device according to claim 10, wherein the determination means is:
It is characterized in that frequency analysis of the heartbeat RR interval is performed.

[0020]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First to fifth and tenth aspects of the present invention,
An environment control device according to an eleventh embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that a physiological information detecting means for detecting a human physiological condition and an environmental factor detecting means for detecting a sound in a human audible frequency band and a sound outside the audible frequency band. The factor control means generates a human audible frequency band and a sound outside the audible frequency band.

In the above arrangement, human physiological conditions such as a human audible frequency band and sound outside the audible frequency band and heartbeat, which are environmental factors around the human, are detected, and the detected contents are subjected to stress by the determining means. If it is determined that the environment is such as to cause the deterioration of the health condition, for example, it is necessary to control the environmental factors around the human so that the stress can be reduced by generating a sound outside the human audible frequency band. Can be.

An environmental control apparatus according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the human audible frequency band generated by the environmental factor control means and the sound outside the audible frequency band are non-stationary. In the above configuration, the environmental factor control device can perform control so as to generate a sound close to a natural environment sound that is comfortable for humans.

An environmental control device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the environmental control device includes: an environmental factor control means for controlling a human audible frequency band and a sound outside the audible frequency band by active noise control. I do.

In the above configuration, when a frequency range with a high sound pressure is recognized, if it is determined that the environment is such that stress is given to a human or the health condition is deteriorated, the frequency band is reversed to a frequency band with a high sound pressure. By generating the phase sound by the environmental factor control means, it is possible to reduce the sound that has an adverse effect on human physiology and psychology.

The environmental control apparatus according to the eighth and ninth embodiments of the present invention is characterized in that the environmental factor control means generates a sound in a human audible frequency band and a sound outside the audible frequency band,
It is characterized by controlling one or more factors of light and air quality.

In the above configuration, since environmental factors such as heat, light, air quality, and sound can be detected, and a human physiological state such as a heartbeat can be detected, the environment around the human and the human condition can be detected by the determination means. Comprehensive environmental factor control can be performed by cooperatively controlling environmental factors such as heat, light, air quality, and sound while detecting changes in physiological conditions.

[0027]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an environment control device according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 20 denotes physiological information detecting means for detecting human physiological information, for example, heartbeat, brain wave, blood flow, skin temperature, skin potential, sweating, etc., 21a means sound environment detecting means, and 22 means these physiological information detecting means 20.
And a sound environment control means for controlling the sound environment based on the information from the judgment means 22 based on the information obtained from the sound environment detection means 21a. .

In this embodiment, the physiological information detecting means 20
The following describes an example of detecting a heartbeat. The physiological information detecting means 20 detects a heartbeat with a pressure sensor unit attached to a wrist, an arm, or the like, measures an R-R interval that is a time interval between an R-wave of one heartbeat and an R-wave of the next heartbeat, and The information is transmitted to the physiological state determination means 22a in the control device using the communication means 24a.

The RR interval is a numerical value indicating the autonomic nervous function in the human body.
It can be seen that the variation of the -R interval is composed of waves of a plurality of frequencies. The waves of these multiple frequencies are classified into HF (High Frequency) components, which are fluctuations corresponding to respiration, and LF (Low Frequency) components, which fluctuate in a cycle of about 10 seconds. The LF component represents the degree of the sympathetic tone, and the greater the amplitude of this component, the greater the tone. On the other hand, the HF component represents the degree of parasympathetic tone, and the greater the amplitude of the HF component, the more relaxed.

Here, since there are individual differences in the amplitude values of the LF component and the HF component, an index taking this into account is "LF / HF" which is the amplitude ratio of the LF component and the HF component.
Is useful for estimating the tone of a human body independent of individuals. From the characteristics of the LF component and the HF component described above, “LF /
The higher the value of “HF”, the higher the degree of tension,
The smaller the value of “HF”, the lower the degree of tension and the more relaxed. The physiological condition determination means uses the value of “LF / HF” as a determination material.

Reference numeral 21a denotes sound environment detecting means. Sound around the human is collected by a sound environment detecting means 21a integrated with the physiological information detecting means 20. As the sound environment detecting means 21a, for example, a microphone that can detect sound in a wide frequency range is used. The sound input to the microphone is converted into an electric signal,
b to the sound environment determination means 22b in the environment control device. The sound environment determination means 22b analyzes the frequency of the transmitted sound using FFT or the like at 20 Hz to 150 KHz.
Perform within the range. Here, the frequency T2 is 20 kHz ≦ T2 ≦
The sound of frequency T2 in the ultrasonic wave of 150 KHz is a sound outside the human audible frequency band.

The sound in the region of the frequency T2 is not transmitted to the eardrum, but directly vibrates human bones and the like, thereby affecting the physiological state of humans, for example, brain waves. It is said that listening to the sound of the frequency T2 to some extent can reduce stress because natural environment sound contains a lot of sound in the frequency T2 region and there is almost no sound in the frequency T2 region in an indoor space or the like. .

If the human physiological state determining means 22a determines that the person is nervous, the sound environment control means 2
Reducing human tension by appropriately generating a sound of 20 kHz or more from 3a. Of course, the sound at this time may be generated simultaneously with the sound (20 Hz to 20 KHz) in the audible range of a human, and it is desirable that this sound be generated irregularly. In this case, a natural environment sound, for example, a babbling of a river or a bark of a bird, may be recorded in the sound environment control means 23a in advance and reproduced.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
It is a block diagram of the environment control apparatus which is an embodiment.
The same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

In FIG. 2, sounds around a human are collected by a sound environment detecting means 21a integrated with the physiological information detecting means 20. As the sound environment detecting means 21a, for example, a microphone capable of detecting sound in a wide frequency range is used. The sound input to the microphone is converted into an electric signal, and transmitted to the environmental state determining unit 22b in the environmental control device by the communication unit 24b. The environmental state determination unit 22b analyzes the frequency of the transmitted sound using the FFT or the like to a range of 0 to 150 KHz. Here, the frequency T1 is a very low frequency sound of 0 Hz ≦ T1 ≦ 20 Hz,
The frequency T2 is an ultrasonic wave of 20 KHz ≦ T2 ≦ 150 KHz, and the sounds of the frequencies T1 and T2 are both sounds outside the human audible frequency band.

Here, it is known that the sound in the region of the frequency T1 causes poor physical condition such as headache and insomnia to humans, which is also called very low frequency sound pollution. In addition, the symptoms of poor physical condition vary greatly among individuals, and the causal sounds cannot be heard, so they cannot be aware of it. Further, the sound in the region of the frequency T2 is not transmitted to the eardrum, but a person having strong sound pressure by directly vibrating human bones or the like gives discomfort.

Here, when it is determined by the human physiological state determining means 22a that the person is nervous, the sound environment determining means 22b analyzes the frequency analysis of the sound, and if there is a frequency band with a high sound pressure, A signal is transmitted to the sound environment control means 23a to control the active noise control device 25a which generates a sound wave having the opposite phase of the frequency from a speaker or the like, thereby reducing the sound pressure in a frequency band that is unpleasant for humans. The sound at this time is, of course, the sound in the human audible area (20H
(z-20 kHz).

(Embodiment 3) FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment of the present invention.
It is a block diagram of the environment control apparatus which is an embodiment.
The same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 20 denotes a physiological information detecting means;
1 means for detecting environmental factors such as sound, heat, light, air quality, etc.
2 is the physiological information detecting means 20 and the environmental factor detecting means 2
1 is a determining means for comprehensively determining human information based on the information obtained from 1; and 23 is an environment for controlling environmental factors such as sound, heat, light, and air quality based on the information obtained by the determining means 22. It is a factor control means.

Here, 21 is a means for detecting environmental factors such as sound, heat, light, air quality, etc. In this embodiment, an example for detecting sound and heat will be described. The environmental factor detecting means 21 is provided with a thermal detecting means 21b for detecting the heat around the human using a sensor such as a thermocouple at the same time as the sound, and a thermal environment determining means 22c in the environmental control device by a communication means 24c as an electric signal. Send to Thereby, the thermal environment determining means 22
c can know the heat state around the human. In the field of thermal environment, it is known that the autonomic thermoregulatory response is minimized in a thermal neutral state. This means that the activity of the autonomic nervous system increases when it becomes colder or hotter than in the thermal neutral state, and exhibits a kind of stress response.However, in the thermal neutral state, the autonomic nervous system activity decreases, Stress response is minimized.

Here, if it is determined by the human physiological state determining means 22a that the human is nervous, the sound environment determining means 2
2b and the thermal environment determining means 22c determine the environment around the person from the frequency analysis result of the sound and the thermal information, and control the environmental factor controlling means 23 so as to keep the thermal environment thermally neutral. Also, as a result of the frequency analysis, if there is a frequency band with a high sound pressure, a sound wave having an opposite phase to this frequency is generated from a speaker or the like, and active noise control is performed. Thereby, the sound pressure in the frequency band that is unpleasant for humans can be reduced.

Alternatively, the human tension is relieved by appropriately generating a sound of 20 KHz or more. The sound at this time may, of course, be generated simultaneously with the sound (20 Hz to 20 KHz) in the audible range of a human. In this case, a natural environment sound, such as a babbling of a river or a singing of a bird, is recorded in the environmental factor control means 23 in advance. You may play it. In addition, light and air quality may be simultaneously detected as the environmental factor detecting means. In this case, the environmental factor controlling means may adjust, for example, the color temperature and illuminance of light, and ventilation to reduce the amount of CO _2. You may go. Of course, these may be coordinated to control an environment that is optimal for the person.

[0044]

As is apparent from the above description, the environmental factor detecting means detects a human audible frequency band and a sound outside the audible frequency band, and the environmental factor controlling means detects a human audible frequency band and a sound outside the audible frequency band. According to this configuration, the environment control device detects physiological quantities such as heartbeats that cannot be recognized by humans, and the environment control device detects and controls sounds outside the audible frequency band. Can never become stressed without knowing,
It has the effect of being comfortable and relaxing.

Further, according to the present invention, the human audible frequency band generated by the environmental factor control means and the sound outside the audible frequency band are non-stationary. According to this configuration, for example, a human is closed indoors or the like. Even if you are in the space, you can hear sounds that are close to the natural environment sound, and you can feel more comfortable.

Further, according to the present invention, the environmental factor control means controls a human audible frequency band and a sound outside the audible frequency band by active noise control. According to this configuration, a human being cannot recognize a heartbeat or the like. The environmental control device detects the physiological amount, the environmental control device detects the sound outside the audible frequency band, and controls the active noise control to reduce the sound in the specific frequency band that adversely affects the human physiological and psychological state. As a result, it is possible for a person to be comfortable and relaxed without being in a stress state without knowing it.

Further, according to the present invention, the environmental factor detecting means detects a human audible frequency band and a sound outside the audible frequency band, or one or more factors of heat, light, air quality, and the environmental factor controlling means. Generates sound outside the audible frequency band and the human audible frequency band, or controls one or more factors of heat, light, and air quality, and combines environmental factors that affect human physiology and psychology. Humans can obtain a more comfortable feeling.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an environment control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an environment control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an environment control device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an environment control device according to a conventional embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a control block diagram of an environment control device according to a conventional embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 body movement detecting means 2 physiological information detecting means 3 physical information specifying means 4 communication means 5 environmental factor controlling means 6 environmental factor detecting means 7 presence detecting means 8 air conditioner 9 lighting device 10 host computer 20 physiological information detecting means 21 environmental factor Detecting means 22 Judging means 23 Environmental factor controlling means 24 Communication means 25 Active noise control device

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H05B 37/02 G10K 11/16 H (72) Inventor Makoto Shimizu 1006 Odakadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Incorporated F term (reference) 3K073 AA00 BA00 BA24 BA31 BA33 CF13 CF14 CJ00 CJ11 CJ22 3L060 AA05 CC11 5D061 FF05

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. An environmental factor detecting means for detecting an environmental factor around a human, a physiological information detecting means for detecting a physiological state of a human, and a human based on information of the environmental factor detecting means and the physiological information detecting means. Determining means for comprehensively determining the state; and environmental factor control means for controlling an environment around a human based on information from the determining means, wherein the environmental factor control means is outside the audible frequency band and the audible frequency band of a human. An environmental control device characterized by generating a sound. 2. The environmental factor control, comprising: environmental factor detecting means for detecting an environmental factor around a human; and environmental factor controlling means for controlling an environment around a human based on information from the environmental factor detecting means. An environmental control device characterized in that the means generates a human audible frequency band and a sound outside the audible frequency band. 3. The environmental control device according to claim 1, wherein said environmental factor detecting means detects a human audible frequency band and a sound outside the audible frequency band. 4. The environmental control device according to claim 1, wherein the frequency T1 outside the human audible frequency band is a very low frequency sound. 5. The environment control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the frequency T2 outside the human audible frequency band is an ultrasonic wave. 6. The environmental control device according to claim 1, wherein the generated sound is unsteady. 7. The environmental control device according to claim 1, wherein said environmental factor control means includes an active noise control device. 8. The environmental control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said environmental factor detecting means detects at least one factor among heat, light, and air quality. 9. The environment control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said environment factor control means controls at least one of heat, light, and air quality. 10. The environment control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the physiological information detecting means detects a heart rate. 11. The environment control apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the determination unit performs a frequency analysis of a heartbeat RR interval.